Snow causes more headaches for travelers

Here we go again. Just as travel was getting back to normal after a monster snowstorm in the East that stranded airline passengers over the weekend, more snow is falling, and more frustration is expected at airports across the region.

“If you’re traveling today or later tomorrow through D.C., New York or Philadelphia, you’re going to want to take pre-emptive action and potentially call and try to get out today because tomorrow looks to be a bit of a mess for those airports,” said meteorologist Rob Marciano.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, passengers scrambled to catch flights early Tuesday before the next blizzard hit. The airport already was dealing with a three-day backlog after the first storm, Sarah Lee reported.

There was a steady stream of air travelers at the airport, Lee said, unusual for so early in the morning.

More than 500 flights have been canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, where airlines are reporting delays of 90 minutes or more for flights in and out.

Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines has canceled all flights at the Illinois city’s Midway International Airport, from Tuesday morning through Wednesday. Other airlines at Midway have reported about 10 cancellations.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for large parts of the Northeast, mid-Atlantic region and Midwest — 20 states in all — with up to 20 inches of snow expected to accumulate in some areas.

Amtrak is operating limited Acela Express and Northeast Regional service between New York and Washington on Tuesday as the region recovers after last weekend’s snowstorm.

In that blizzard, a record 32.4 inches of snow fell on Washington’s Dulles International Airport over two days, breaking a January 7-8, 1996, record of 23.2 inches.